I’ll take famous sports villains for $200 Alex?

Villainy, the art of being a villain, is sadly becoming a lost art. The whole idea of villainy is so we have somebody to hate. We need an antagonist in our lives. There must be that certain individual or group that sets us off. I’m not referring to the mere concept of rivalry. This isn’t about some respected rival who we begrudgingly give respect to even though they may defeat the teams we love or repeatedly break our heart. No, this is all about the hate, and hate is what most people do best.

Few villains sank to the depraved depths of poor sportsmanship with more relish than Baron Otto Matic, a racing fiend who gave the honorable Tom Slick many sleepless nights before a big race.

President George W. Bush appealed to America’s need to have villains when he labeled Iraq, Iran, and North Korea, the “Axis of Evil”. It was an interesting decision on his part seeing that he announced this designation right after the horrific “9/11” attacks, despite the fact that none of the aforementioned members of that despicable brotherhood had anything to do with the attacks on America back in 2001. In fact, not only were these countries completely innocent of playing any part in the events of that fateful day, they don’t even like each other. An “Axis of Evil” denotes some form of partnership, cooperation, or at least a knowing glance or secret handshake. Iran and Iraq were mortal enemies at the time, and North Korea is and was about as isolated as a leper on a ferris wheel. (It should also be noted that thanks to Bush’s fine handiwork, Iran and Iraq are getting along splendidly these days, although they do seem to still be embracing their evil philosophies.)

(Some have suggested that by carelessly labeling nations as “evil”, it made it easier to start an unprovoked war with those very nations. I would say they have a good argument. You Tube)

Perhaps due to President Bush’s rather assertive use of the word “evil”, President Obama has been very cautious, perhaps too cautious for some individual’s tastes in labeling groups and individuals as being evil. But whether you embrace Obama’s caution or Donald Trump’s zeal for calling out our enemies, both real and imagined, it would seem that the world now frowns on labeling those who stand for all we hate as “evil”. Many feel we should move beyond exuding hate towards those we feel have done us some sort of physical or meta-physical wrong. However, as humans, we need a designated villain to rally against so we can heap our scorn upon them. Is there any aspect of life that still allows such vile behavior? Well, since the time of the ancient Greeks, it’s been the field of athletic endeavor where society can still find their fiends and spew their invective towards them.

Known as the “Assassin”, few players wore the proverbial black hat more proudly or appropriately than Jack Tatum, a safety for the ultimate team of villains and misfits, the Oakland Raiders. (Getty Images)

Sports, professional or college would appear to be the one true safe haven that has been preserved for the fine art of rage and hatred. Again I’m not just speaking about rivals. I know every Yankee fan hates all of the Red Sox and vice versa, that’s too obvious. I’m speaking of a team or player, or series of players who are recognized across the sporting world as being villainous in their actions, deeds, and words.

For example, I know that Red Sox fans hated Derek Jeter. He stood for everything a Boston fan would hate. However, Jeter was beyond reproach in his approach to the game. His on and off the field behavior, his skill and ability level, his leadership, and his dedication to the game set the standard for a professional athlete. Criticizing Jeter is like going after Shirley Temple in the 1930s for saying her feel-good movies during the Great Depression were too uplifting. Players like Jeter, Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, Magic Johnson, Wayne Gretzky, Sugar Ray Robinson, even Secretariat, carry themselves in such a manner within their chosen field of expertise, that to hate them or consider them treacherous is to be so jaded that you might want to seek out some form of psychological help to get past some of your issues.

Maybe it was his polite and humble manner as a Canadian, or maybe it was because he played like a gentleman, but Wayne Gretzky personified class and sportsmanship on the ice. He was such a well-mannered player, that he won hockey’s award for the best behaved player in the NHL five times. It’s called the Lady Bing Award. How are you going to vilify a player who is a multiple winner of an award named for a woman. (You Tube)

So to make it clear, this isn’t about winning teams, franchises or athletes, this label of “sports villain” is saved for those who through their actions are universally reviled. They may be “cheap-shot artists”, or those who seek to gain an edge in their field of competition. They could be coaches who are constantly looking to stretch the limits of what is acceptable and what is over the line. Certainly we would have to include the chronic whiners and complainers, as well as the classic trash-talkers and big mouths, or it could be a team or a franchise that comes to epitomize all that is reprehensible in the world of sport, and has thereby attracted an army of detractors and critics who seek to minimize their accomplishments.

When you’ve chosen this as your team’s emblem, a picture that is ostensibly a sketch of a serial killer with an eye-patch, you’ve pretty much broadcast to the world that you want your team viewed in what is most likely to be a negative light. (You Tube)

First, let’s take a look at the category for worst individual sports villain. While we can debate about the order of who is actually the worst person in sports history until the Patriots achieve just the wrong amount of air in their footballs for Tom Brady to cheat, I believe strongly that no top five list of biggest sports villains would be complete without the following…

5. Dave “The Hammer” Schultz – If you’re a hockey fan, then you know the name Dave Schultz. “The Hammer” was the resident goon on a team of goons, known as the Philadelphia Flyers, a.k.a. The Broad Street Bullies. Schultz’ job was to skate around the rink looking to cheap-shot an opponent, or instigate some sort of fight or melee’, sometimes with the other teams’ “goon”, sometimes with anyone he could get his hands on. He once roughed up the New York Rangers’ Dale Rolfe so badly in a playoff series between the Rangers and the Flyers, the Rangers all but took off their skates and asked for a police escort home.

(One of the all-time pummelings, courtesy of “The Hammer”. You Tube)

4. Tom Brady/Bill Belichick – I lump them together because they belong together. They are both phonies who look for any advantage, fair or unfair, legal or illegal to gain an edge on their opponents. Belichick has already been cited by the league for illegally spying on opponents. (“Spy-gate”) Brady is currently serving a four-game suspension for using illegally deflated footballs in a playoff game. (And most likely, every home game he has ever played.) Demonstrating their class and character, Belichick enthusiastically threw Brady under the bus claiming he had no knowledge regarding the inflation of the footballs used by the Patriots. (Keep in mind, this is a guy who controls all aspects of all player behavior, and pregame preparation. He is perhaps the most detail oriented coach in the history of the league.) Brady for his part threw two young unknowns who felt lucky to be even working for the mighty Patriots under the team bus and then destroyed his cell phone which had proof implicating him in this scandal.. But he’s a great competitor, right?

3. Rick Mahorn/Jeff Ruland a.k.a. “McFilthy” and “McNasty” – Legendary Celtic broadcaster Johnnie Most nicknamed these two beefy big men (Jeff Ruland and Rick Mahorn) who played for the then Washington Bullets in the late 1980s. They weren’t particularly great players, but they were huge and physical. Celtic fans and basketball purists bemoaned the way they physically manhandled opponents, particularly their beloved Larry Bird. But to Celtic haters everywhere, an errant elbow into one of Larry Bird’s ribs by either Ruland or Mahorn was not the worst use of an errant elbow a dirty hoopster could incorporate.

Many kudos for “McNasty”, Rick Mahorn. Not only was he ingenious at instigating players into throwing the first punch, he was also the master of the cheap-shot. However, he gets a special shout-out for being a member of one of the dirtiest teams in NBA history, the Detroit Pistons, a.k.a. the “Bad Boys”. (You Tube)

2. Conrad Dobler – While many readers might not be that familiar with the work of this former All-Pro guard who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Buffalo Bills, Dobler became a legendary figure known infamously for being the guy at the bottom of the pile in football who bit, gouged, kicked, or spit on his prone opponents. He also held on the majority of the plays he was involved in, and basically sought to get away with any advantage he could muster, no matter how fiendish.

Being on the bottom of a pile up with Conrad Dobler really “bit”, and you often were. (Getty Images)

1. Jack Tatum – The fearsome former Raider known as “Assassin”, Tatum was feared and respected for his devastating head-hunting hits on brave but vulnerable receivers who dared to venture over the middle of the football field. Tatum was known for his jarring tackles, building up a head of steam in order so he could drive his shoulder or helmet into an unfortunate receiver, often separating man from football. Tatum’s methods however would eventually result in tragedy. In 1978, New England Patriot wide receiver Daryl Stingley was drilled by Tatum during a pre-season NFL game in 1978 when he went for a pass in the middle of the field, paralyzing him for the rest of his life. It cemented Tatum’s reputation as an “assassin”, but from this point on, his career was never the same.

Often these infamous sports villains helped enhance the reputation of the teams they played on. Many of the most reviled teams in sports history worked together in unison in order to earn our scorn, while others were carried to the “dark side” on the backs of a handful of devious characters. Which franchises stand “below” the rest in regards to their seamy and underhanded ways? Well, my top five would have to include…

5. 1970s Dallas Cowboys – The whole idea that they were “America’s Team” was reprehensible. They were supposed to be the “good guys”, and of course having Roger Staubach, the Naval Academy graduate at quarterback helped develop this myth. But Staubach aside, the Cowboys of the 1970s drank, drugged, and womanized with the best of them. The hypocrisy was sickening.

4. 2000s New England Patriots – In addition to the hijinks of Brady and Belichick, this organization will take any player, no matter how heinous their past “indiscretions” may have been. I’m talking to you Aaron Hernandez, Julian Edelman, LaGarrette Blount, Randy Moss etc…They trash talk, whine to the refs on every play, and live to run up the score on an already defeated opponent. Suffice to say, I find them beyond contempt.

I won’t go as far as to say these banner represent a sports-centered “Axis of Evil”. However, they are all detestable in their own special way. (Hoffman Collection)

3. 1980s Detroit Pistons – The “Bad Boys” won two championships, but offended nearly every player and fan in the NBA who were not fans of the Detroit Piston. Bill Laimbeer, John “Spider” Salley, Isiah Thomas, Rick “McNasty” Mahorn, and of course “The Worm”, Dennis Rodman were amongst the most physical and obnoxious characters to ever dominate the NBA. They played defense like their lives depended on it, rebounded with abandon, and could score whenever them seemed to have the need. Isiah seemed to be laughing at his opponents right on the court, and you just knew that all of the “Bad Boys” were laughing at you off of it.

2. 1970s Philadelphia Flyers – the Flyers attracted goons the way rusty campers attract meth lab enthusiasts. They had nicknames like “Moose”, “The Hammer”, “The Rat”, (and those were what their wives called them.) and although they had their share of talented hockey players, they won through intimidation and thuggery. Fans around the league begged for them to be beaten. All of sudden, Ranger fans found themselves rooting for the hated Bruins or the dreaded Canadians, anybody who could slow down the “Broad Street Bullies”. I even considered boycotting the Philly steak with cheese sandwich, but then I figured, why should I suffer?

Not since the Nazi’s invaded the USSR were good people everywhere more torn over who to root for. The horrible cheating bullies, or the USSR? (Getty Images)

1.1970s Oakland Raiders – Their quarterback had gray hair, their coach was a fat excitable fellow who wore short sleeves no matter how cold it was. They brought in every cast-off and misfit that the rest of the league shunned. Their star receiver and star cornerback covered their hands in a gooey substance called “stick-em”, which literally made it impossible to drop the ball. Their owner sued the league every year, and they excelled at late hits, steroid usage, and every other undesirable behavior that an athlete could imagine. I’ll say this, unlike the Cowboys, at least they owned their reprehensible behavior.

Few players epitomized the wild rock ‘n’ roll spirit of the Oakland Raiders of the 1970s like “Big Tooz”, John Matuszak. He was yet another cast-off from the league that the Raiders’ took a chance on. Matuszak would help lead the “Pirates of the NFL” to a Super Bowl victory. (Getty Images)

There are others of course who merit mention. Christian Laettner, the Duke University pretty boy who once stepped on an opposing player. Kermit Washington, the former NBA tough guy who once punched Houston Rocket Rudy Tomjanovich in the face so hard, a lot of people thought that Tomjanovich was dead! Georgetown’s basketball team of the 1980s, the great Celtic teams, the Yankees for all of their success, and so many more. I’m sure you have your preferences, but lay off the Jets and the Mets. Lord knows they have suffered enough.